1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to accessory fishing tackle, and in particular to the construction of a minnow dipper for gathering a live minnow from a minnow bucket.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In freshwater sport fishing, game fish are caught on natural baits and on artificial lures. Some fishermen prefer live natural baits because natural baits have a familiar shape, movement or odor which appeal to freshwater game fish. Minnows are the principal natural food of many kinds of popular freshwater game fishes such as bass and crappie. Most of the many kinds of minnows used as live bait measure only a few inches in length and are kept in a live bait container such as a minnow bucket.
According to conventional practice, live minnows are retrieved from a minnow bucket by means of a small dip net or simply by inserting the hand into the bucket. Retrieving a minnow by hand is not preferred since the minnows remaining in the bucket may be contaminated by gasoline or oil which commonly soils the hands when fishing from a boat. Retrieving a minnow by means of a small dip net is an improvement since the water in the minnow bucket is not exposed to contaminants by the retrieval process. However, use of the conventional dip net is not entirely satisfactory since more than one minnow may be gathered by the net and some may escape while the fisherman is trying to hook a single minnow. In addition to the risk of losing some of the minnows gathered in the net, there is the risk of snagging the hook in the dip net while attempting to properly hook the minnow. According to a preferred method for hooking live minnows, the hook is inserted through the muscles of the back either forward of the dorsal fin or behind the dorsal through the tail. It is relatively difficult to carry out the preferred hooking method on a lively minnow while keeping the dip net clear of the hook and while also tending to the line, pole and other fishing gear.